trick training

Ringo: Musical Freestyle Masters Title!

Canine Musical Freestyle training

Ringo SPOILED me this past weekend!

We earned his Musical Freestyle Masters title on our first try!!!

Despite 30 seconds of changes added to his routine just 3 weeks ago, and minimal time to practice, he met me more than halfway and put in solid cheerful and engaging performances. He earned a 94/100 on Saturday, with a second place in his class, and a 92/100 on Sunday, with a first place in his class. He also won a combined high score award for highest combined scores in advanced class over the entire weekend! 

Our routine was not without a few expected bobbles, as we really had to scramble to add new content while taking advantage of a live show opportunity just 3 weeks after earning his Musical Freestyle Excellent title. I entered the show with the mindset of learning about how the new sequences would flow (or not), and how strong the behaviors were in a performance setting (we still have some work to do!). I had not set my sights on his Masters Title, I only wanted to get our feet wet in Advanced class with other much more advanced dogs and handlers. Well, boy was I pleasantly surprised! What a lucky lady I am! 

canine freestyle dog

Terra's new musical freestyle routine "Flying Home"

Terra and I have moved on up to the Premier Freestyle division with the Musical Dog Sport Association and the Advanced Freestyle division with Rally Freestyle Elements. This means our routines are longer (3 minutes or more!), have more requirements, and must be done with precision heeling and minimal overt signals. We are really enjoying the challenge and love the training time we get together. Here is our first Premier level routine for MDSA. Hope you enjoy it!